Re: Why would you use MySQL with PHP instead of the native DB2 with PHP on iSeries

<snip>
I would guess my substitute dispatching and absence management system
could be considered "narrowly scoped" but something like Sugar CRM?
Runs on Windows, Linux and i without so much as a difference in a line
of code (to my knowledge). I would guess just defining database
connections during configuration time is about all it takes.
</snip>

Where the difficulty comes into play is with the database itself and how the applications construct queries. From what I've seen, MySQL has a lot of non-standard syntax for things (especially data types and DDL statements) and it is common for PHP apps to use those items in the queries. Since there isn't some middle layer (like Hibernate or even just JDBC itself) to translate that query into the syntax the target database can understand, you end up with the app tied to MySQL.

What the IBMDB2I storage engine (http://www.ibmsystemsmag.com/ibmi/february09/features/24086p1.aspx) does is essentially handle the translation between MySQL and DB2 without having to manually port the database parts of the app to DB2.

Matt